Celebrating women and young girls in sport month – Taylah Paterson

Orkney midwife Taylah Paterson is challenging the stereotypical beliefs held by some over women in sport whilst continuing to deliver as an athlete on the track. 

Taylah, who is supported by the Council and sportscotland through the Athlete Travel Award Scheme, had her daughter Lara at the end of June 2023 but throughout her pregnancy and thereafter, the athlete continued her training regime and appropriate exercises. 

"My last training session was two days before I had Lara! Yes, the first few months were tough with pregnancy sickness and tiredness, so training was quite inconsistent but once the sickness passed, I was able to get back into my normal routine again.” 

Taylah overcame any hurdles she faced by changing the type of training, for example, from track running to using the cross trainer and spin bike. She was able to continue strength and conditioning sessions for the duration of her pregnancy.  

Following a caesarean section birth as Lara was breech, the first 8 weeks after the operation were focused on rest, recovery and gaining strength and mobility. 

“Although I was very immobile for the first few weeks, I focused on the things I could do - feet strengthening and pelvic floor exercises.” 

Week by week, Taylah’s strength grew and 14 weeks after her c-section, she completed her first full training session on the track. By December, she was sprinting again. 

Whilst training on broken sleep has been challenging, Taylah is feeling recharged to be back on the track.  

“I am still involved with the Scotland 4x100m relay squad. Scottish Athletics were very supportive throughout my pregnancy, encouraging me to attend sessions to watch and be part of the team until I could participate again. I am grateful to Scottish Athletics for supporting me and believing in me. I have felt valued as a team member at my most vulnerable time as an athlete. Now that I am back participating in training with the squad, I will be up for selection for this year’s competitions - Loughborough International, London Diamond League and Geneva International. 

“For me, the 2024 season is about getting back to competing regularly and hopefully getting close to personal best form post pregnancy. I did my first competition in January to get an idea of where my speed was at and I ran my second fastest season opener ever over the 60m. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season goes and most importantly, just enjoy being back racing again!” 

The Island Games coming home to Orkney next year has been a long-held dream for Taylah and she is hungry for a gold on home turf! 

"I also have my eye on the Island Games 100m record - my PB is faster than the current record so hopefully I can be in good form to have a go at it and if the Orkney weather behaves! I am hopeful that we will have relay teams for both the 4x100m and 4x400m that will be in the mix for medals too. The home games is a huge opportunity to not only perform our best in front of our friends and family but to inspire the next generation of Orkney athletes, introducing them to sport at international level and showing them what the Island Games is all about.” 

As to promoting women and young girls in sport, Taylah feels there’s still quite a bit of work to be done to change some deep-rooted perceptions. 

She felt as though some had lost faith in her ability as an athlete simply because she’d had a baby. 

“Even after my most successful season to date in 2022, running for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, a pregnancy was enough to lose hope in me. I was unable to compete in 2023 but I trained throughout my entire pregnancy to make sure I was doing everything I could to stay fit and strong and to put myself in a good place for returning to competition. I was still training for my sport, just in a different way than before. Injured athletes aren’t viewed or treated in this way, so why should pregnant women be?” 

Delving further, Taylah also touches on how the menstrual cycle can impact women in sport. 

"I know as a junior athlete I would have found it extremely beneficial learning about each stage of the cycle and how it can affect you in training/competition. Many assume that if a woman is on her period that she won’t be able to perform to her best which is simply not true. 

“I think it’s so important to not let periods become a mental barrier for women and girls in sport. More could be done at sports clubs and schools to normalise this subject and make athletes feel more comfortable to have open conversations with each other and with their coaches. If we can break down these barriers and normalise these taboo subjects, I have no doubt we would see an increase in girls and women participating in sport."